Narváez claims his second victory in the Giro with a display on the walls of Fermo

Jhonatan Narváez once again demonstrated that he is one of the most explosive riders in the 2026 Giro d'Italia. The Ecuadorian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG conquered stage 8 in Fermo after a very fast and nervous day, marked by a high-level breakaway, constant attacks, and a tough succession of final walls where he imposed his speed and ability to accelerate on impossible slopes.

Narváez and UAE strike again in the Giro

The stage between Chieti and Fermo started at full speed. The first kilometers were uphill, which led to a huge battle to get into the day's good breakaway. Filippo Ganna and Alberto Bettiol tried first, then new moves came, and there was even a hard crash from Fabio Christen, who ended up abandoning the Giro.

After more than an hour of attacks, accelerations, and split groups, the race ended up selecting a high-level breakaway. Dangerous riders like Mikkel Bjerg, Andreas Leknessund, and Narváez himself got into it, while the peloton never really decided whether to chase or let them go.

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With Visma-Lease a Bike and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe more focused on controlling the general classification after the Blockhaus battle, the gap gradually grew, turning the stage into a duel among the breakaway riders.

UAE strikes again despite losses, and Narváez seals the deal

The victory is even more commendable for UAE because the team arrived very affected to this second week of the Giro. Adam Yates, Jay Vine, and Marc Soler abandoned after the big crash in Bulgaria, but still, the Emirati team has already accumulated three wins in just eight stages.

Bjerg was key in the outcome. The Dane toughened the race from afar and ended up selecting the front group along with Narváez and Leknessund. On every climb, the Ecuadorian seemed to be in control, while his breakaway companions struggled to keep up.

The decisive gap came on the Muro di Capodarco. Narváez launched a sudden change of pace on the steepest ramps, and only Leknessund could initially hold on. Bjerg eventually gave in, and the Ecuadorian finished the job on the final ascent to Fermo, where the slopes reached 22%.

The finish was a true Italian classic. Narrow roads, cobbled walls, extreme ramps, and thousands of fans pushing the riders between the walls of Fermo.

Narváez finally dropped Leknessund with less than ten kilometers to go and managed about twenty seconds of advantage until the finish line. The Ecuadorian raised his arms for the second time in this Giro after also winning the fourth stage.

Behind, Leknessund held on to finish second after a huge display of endurance, while Johannes Kulset completed the podium from the chasing group.

Calm among the favorites

In the general classification, there were no significant movements. Visma controlled the favorites' group with Sepp Kuss and Victor Campenaerts, while Jonas Vingegaard preferred not to expend energy after the blow dealt the previous day at Blockhaus.

Afonso Eulálio defended the Maglia Rosa without problems and even moved in some of the final climbs, showing that he is still going through the best moment of his career. The Portuguese thus maintains over three minutes on Vingegaard before another broken day on the way to Corno alle Scale.

Top 10 Stage 8 Giro Italia 2026

1. Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – 3:27:26
2. Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) – at 32 s
3. Martin Tjøtta (Uno-X Mobility) – at 42 s
4. Thomas Silva (XDS Astana) – at 44 s
5. Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar Team) – at 44 s
6. Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) – at 48 s
7. Corbin Strong (Netcompany INEOS) – at 55 s
8. Juan Pedro López (Movistar Team) – at 55 s
9. Wout Poels (Unibet Rose Rockets) – at 58 s
10. Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost) – at 1:00

Top 10 General Giro Italia 2026 after Stage 8

1. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) – 34:28:42
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 3:15
3. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) – at 3:34
4. Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) – at 4:18
5. Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 4:23
6. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 4:28
7. Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) – at 4:32
8. Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling) – at 4:56
9. Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS) – at 5:07
10. Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) – at 5:11